Mount St. Joseph vs St. Maria Goretti-Headlines

There was a massive Baltimore Catholic League matchup held in The Smith Center on the campus of Mount St. Joseph as they played host to St. Maria Goretti. Not only did the game hold implications towards the regular season crown, but it also impacted the seeding for the BCL Tournament.

Mount St. Joseph escaped with a 54-53 victory. Let’s run down some of the headlines surrounding this contest.

MSJ controls their own fate

With the win, MSJ secured the No. 1 seed in the BCL Tournament. In order to win the league outright they’ll need to defeat Archbishop Spalding this Friday evening. They dismantled Spalding in their last meeting by a final score of 81-49, but if somehow and upset occurs, it would result in a co-champion situation between MSJ and Goretti.

The battle of the bigs

These two teams match up evenly throughout the starting five with the best individual battle coming between 2023 Amani Hansberry Amani Hansberry 6'7" | C Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State #52 Nation MD and 2024 Caleb Embeya Caleb Embeya 6'9" | C St. Maria Goretti | 2024 State MD . There aren’t many frontcourt prospects in the area who can handle the physicality that Hansberry brings for 32 minutes, but Embeya has the size, strength and length to do so. Still, Hansberry led the game with 17 points and was effective in getting Embeya in early foul trouble that forced him to change his approach for the remainder of the game. Embeya had his bright spots with touches on the block where he used an array of pump fakes and step-throughs to get clean looks at the rim. The 6’8 junior even stepped out to the corner and knocked down a corner three late in the game to keep Goretti on MSJ’s heels. Hansberry proved that it’s still his throne, but with him heading to Illinois next fall, Embeya is set to step in as the next dominant big in the Baltimore Catholic League next season.

Valentine always comes through

It has become routine for 2023 point guard Ace Valentine Ace Valentine 6'2" | PG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD to make his presence felt when his team needs him most. The UMBC pledge scored 10 of his 12 points in the final three quarters with two of his buckets in the second half coming in loud fashion. Since the beginning of the season, Valentine and Hansberry have been the engine of this MSJ machine that currently stands 32-3.

Wright is one to note

2024 Goretti guard Jarvis Wright Jarvis Wright 6'3" | SF St. Maria Goretti | 2024 State MD is a name that I’ll keep tabs on this spring and summer to track his development. Since about mid way through the season, Wright has found a groove in his role coming off the bench and providing instant energy and scoring. He scored seven of his 11 points in the third quarter as Goretti took a slim lead in the back-and-forth affair.

Other quick notes

2023 Goretti Dionte Alexander Dionte Alexander 6'3" | SG St. Maria Goretti | 2023 State MD ‘s playmaking as a lead guard took the spotlight in the second half. He operated heavily in ball screens where he took advantage of driving lanes for tough, creative floaters around the basket on his way to 10 points. Alexander will visit Belmont Abbey this weekend.

2023 Goretti point guard Jahson Johnson was another senior who stepped up in crunch time and showed off toughness getting downhill and finishing through contact despite standing around 5’9. He’s an intense competitor who brings passion to both ends of the floor. Johnson scored nine points in the loss.

2023 MSJ guard and Stonehill commit Austin Abrams Austin Abrams 6'3" | SG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD did his work early to help his team get off to a strong start. Abrams looked more confident than he has in the last few games shooting the ball and the results showed. Nine of his 11 points came in the first half and he also contributed on the defensive end keeping his matchup at bay.

2023 MSJ guard Sean Clark Sean Clark 6'1" | CG Mount St. Joseph | 2023 State MD was valuable once again during a crucial stretch last night. The unsigned senior hit his biggest shot with less than 30 seconds left from the left corner as he canned a three-pointer to break the tie. Clark also had a couple of strong drives in his seven-point outing.